How Debate Prep for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Is Starkly Different
One is actively preparing and the other is avoiding mock debates.
— -- The first head-to-head presidential debate is days away, and in keeping with their starkly different campaigns, the candidates are taking dramatically different approaches to debate prep.
Hillary Clinton has cleared her schedule and taken herself off the campaign trail today, Friday and through the weekend ahead of Monday night's debate in Long Island, New York.
She's doing intensive debate prep, which includes mock debates complete with a Donald Trump stand-in as well as reviews of Trump's performance in Republican primary debates.
By contrast, Trump had two campaign events scheduled for today and he's added events to his schedule over the weekend.
Sources have told ABC News that his debate prep has been slim and he has not delved into policy or participated in mock debates.
The one study tactic that they both share is a review of their opponent's past performances. But while aides say Clinton has been actively reviewing Trump's work, senior level Trump sources say he was given an iPad loaded with footage of old Clinton debates though it's unclear how much time he has spent watching them.
Trump hasn't spoken extensively about his debate prep, but does talk about the tone he expects to take.
"I'm going to be very respectful of her," Trump said during a phone interview on Fox News this morning.
"I think she deserves that and I'm going to be nice. And if she's respectful of me, that’ll be nice. We'll have something that I think people will respect as a debate but we'll see where it all goes. You really never know exactly how it's going to turn out and that's why we going to have a lot of people watching," he said.
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee is actively trying to raise expectations for Clinton's debate performance -- presumably trying to set the bar high.
"With national polling reflecting a surge of momentum for Donald Trump, the pressure is squarely on Hillary Clinton to live up to her reputation as a talented debater at a time when millions of undecided voters will be glued to their screens," RNC chief strategist Sean Spicer said in a statement.
He went on to mention her "ample experience" and "adroit performances in past debates."
"Clinton's been at it since she's been on the debate team in high school, and she has shined on some of the biggest stages before," he wrote.
Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, isn't necessarily tamping down expectations either.
"You are going to hear Donald Trump doing a lot of trash talking, but Hillary is a tough person. She is going to be very, very able to deal with that," Kaine said at an event today in Reno, Nevada.
"The debate is gonna go forth, and I think you are gonna see a real contrast," he said.
Related Topics
Related Stories
ABC News Live